Data Storage Devices (DSDs) are often used to record data onto or to reproduce data from a storage media such as a rotating magnetic disk or a solid-state memory. In some cases, DSDs may be used to archive or store data received from one or more sensing devices such as, for example, video cameras, accelerometers, microphones, or various other sensors. The data received from such sensing devices may arrive at the DSD as a continuous stream of data and eventually consume large amounts of the available storage capacity in the DSD.
Some DSDs may cache data received from a host in a write cache that allows the DSD to defer storing data in its intended location until it is more efficient for the DSD. A DSD may also use a read cache to allow a copy of data stored in another location of the DSD to be accessed more quickly by the host. Caching policies can be used to determine which data is to be cached. The host may provide information about the data stored in the DSD so that a caching policy can result in better decisions about which data should be cached. However, in a system where sensing devices communicate directly with the DSD without a host, such as in an Internet of Things (IoT) application, the DSD typically lacks information about the data being collected and the DSD is unable to fully take advantage of caching to improve power usage and performance.